Family Fitness: Swim Fit

When summer hits in this neighborhood, we know it because we can practically hear the kids screaming with wild glee as they run through the streets to our neighborhood pool. Our pool is busy with swim team for the first six weeks of summer, open swim, swim lessons, and adult lap swim.  In my opinion, it is the glue of our neighborhood.  The neighborhood pool was a foreign concept for this native Arizonan, but I am now a staunch supporter.

A few summers ago after swim team was over, some parents from the neighborhood got together and begged asked our swim coach if he would put together a "Swim Fit" camp for kids AND parents who wanted to stay in shape throughout the summer. Amazingly, Coach Patrick, the world’s awesomest swim coach, agreed. Swim Fit was born.



We met for one hour, three days a week for one month. It was totally cheap -- $25 for the month. It was not your typical swim team workout, but more out-of-the-box workout to accommodate non-swimmers and to mix it up for the hard core swimmers.

It is heaven.

It provided me with:

-  an extra workout (Yippee! Just load it on!)
-  time to spend with my kids
-  an opportunity for the kids to see their mom huffin' it big time
-  time outside (what else are we going to do in 100+ degree weather all summer?)
-  chats with other adults in the neighborhood

This summer’s Swim Fit was particularly sweet because I conned convinced a friend and her daughter to do it with us, plus my little sis joined in the fun during her visit here.

While Coach Patrick lounged in the comfort of his dry, shaded deck chair he threw out the commands: 

 Swim! 

Jog!  

Kickboard drills!  

Tarzan swim!  

Doggy paddle!  

Shoes on!  

Ab work!  

Dry land squats!  

Push ups!  

Butterfly kick with breaststroke arms! 

 Nothing was off limits.  

Our workouts resembled a lot what you saw here. Some days were more nuts than others. And we loooooved to moan and groan about it while Patrick just smiled and calmly said, "Do it again."

The finale to Swim Fit was a “Healthy Food Party”. All the kids brought something they thought was healthy. Most everyone “got it” -- however we did have a Costco size box of Bear Claws and Apple Danishes show up (the mom thought it was healthy because it had fruit in it). I spoke briefly to the kids about nutrition: what it is, what it isn’t and what they actually should eat during a day.

It was a marvelous experience and one I hated to see end. I couldn’t help but think, however, that all this came about because parents made it happen.

Just think what else we can pull off if we put our minds to it!

Like this?  Want more?  Subscribe to Trainer Momma's RSS feed by clicking here.  Thanks!